The Best Way To Cook 'Em!

Preparing pork chops in the oven is an easy way to cook America’s favorite white meat. Not only are oven baked pork chops simple to cook, but they are also much healthier for you than say, fried pork chops. Limiting your consumption of fried foods is a great way to keep your cholesterol and triglycerides in check. If you thought pork chops in the oven could in no way shape or form be tasty, think again, you’re in for a treat. There are so many great recipes for baking pork chops that you could literally cook a different meal each day of the year for an entire year and still have more recipes for pork chops in the oven to sift through!

Before we get into the actual pork chop recipes, let’s talk briefly about the different cuts available at the meat market or your local grocery store. Pork chops can be bought either with the bone-in or boneless. You can get your pork chops loin or you can purchase what are called, rib-chops. The most important factor to consider, however, when you are considering cooking pork chops in the oven, is the thickness of the pork chop itself. Generally speaking, a thick pork chop is anything three quarters of an inch thick or less. Anything meatier than that would be considered a thick cut of pork chop. As a rule of thumb, prepare to cook thick pork chops in the oven longer than thin ones. When baking pork chops, you will want to have your oven on a lower than normal temperature to keep your pork chops moist and juicy.

Here’s a great recipe for pork chops in the oven that we hope you’ll try:

Simple Oven-Baked BBQ Pork Chops In The Oven

3 pork chops (a thick cut, 3/4″ – 1″)

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup water

1/8 cup white vinegar

1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1/2 TBS honey or brown sugar

1/4 cup tomato ketchup

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay out pork chops in heavy duty baking pan, glass or otherwise.

Spread sliced onion evenly over the pork chops.

Mix together all remaining ingredients.

Pour mixture evenly over pork chops and onions.

Bake pork chops for approximately 1 hour or until pork chops are tender.

This pork chop recipe serves three people, providing each person indulges in just one pork chop. For more fun, try doubling the recipe and then you can really…. pig out!

This has got to be one of the easiest pork chops in the oven recipe. Try it, we know you’ll love it as much as we do!

Brining pork chops is the process one goes through in order to get their pork chops ready for cooking. It is a technique that requires the soaking of the pork chops in a salt water mixture. The reason for brining pork chops has to do with the attempt to keep the pork tender, juicy, and moist. When you brine any type of meat, what you are essentially doing is adding water to the meat. Adding this water to the pork or whatever meat you are brining can if fact increase the weight of the meat by up to 15%. This extra weight is purely water weight however, but since when you cook meat, water is taken out, brining will allow the meat to start off with more from the start, thus giving you a nice juice pork chop as the end result.

Now, when you are brining pork chops, there is a basic recipe that you can follow that will get the job done quickly and efficiently. The recipe calls for 1 cup of salt (non-iodine salt is recommended) to one gallon of water. It’s a pretty simple formula to remember, however you should keep in mind the fact that over brining pork chops is something you definitely will want to avoid at all costs. The opposite, however, under brining will not affect your pork chops. If you leave your pork chops in the brine mixture for too long or you just plain use too much salt in your brine solution, what you will end up with is pork chops that are way too salty to enjoy.

So, just how long should you brine pork chops for? Well, pork chops can stand a hefty amount of time in the brine solution, but also can get the advantages of brining within just a few hours. If you don’t have however, at least three to four hours to wait for the brining process, I would suggest you don’t even attempt it until you do have the time. Pork chops that are about one to one and a half inches thick will require brining for about 12 to 24 hours, not over 24 hours. If you’re dealing with a whole pork loin, you can leave that loin in the brine for up to 2 days and it will come out tasting awesome.

Some folks prefer to add a little seasoning to their pork chop brine as well. The most common and basic additive for brining pork chops is some sort of sweetening agent, whether it be white or brown sugar, molasses, or maple syrup – the real maple syrup though, not the Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworth’s varieties used most often for breakfast pancakes. An easy rule of thumb to follow measurement wise is to add a half of a cup of sweetener for every gallon of brine you’re dealing with. Some people add herbs and spices, garlic and onions most notably to give it that extra kick of flavor. Whatever your fancy, brining pork chops is an easy way to pack an extra punch into an already delicious meal.

Below is a simple recipe for brining pork chops that we hope you will enjoy:

Scrumptiously Sweet Pork Chop Brine

Prep Time: 20 – 25 minutes

Brine Time: At least 1 day, but not more than 3

Makes 10 cups of brine

Ingredients:

6 cups fresh spring water

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups honey

8 cloves garlic, crushed

2 onions, chopped

4 TBSP rosemary, dry of fresh

4 TBSP black pepper, fresh from peppercorns is best

2 TBSP mustard seed

2 TBSP salt (non-iodine)

1/2 TSP nutmeg

2 bay leaves (optional)

To Prepare:

Mix together all of the ingredients in an extra large heavy duty stock pot and bring to a nice even boil. Take the pot off the stove and allow to cool all the way, completely. You’ll need a large container depending on how many pork chops you are brining. Place the pork chops in the brine mixture together in a container with a lid and place in the refrigerator, where it should stay covered for at least the next 24 hours. Make sure you do not keep it in the mixture for more than three days or you will have put to waste perfectly good pork chops. Once removed, cook as you like. They can now be grilled, baked, pan fried, your choice.

We hope you have found these tips and recipe on brining pork chops helpful.

Knowing how long to cook pork chops is very important. I know it must seem like we are being very redundant here at Pork Chops In The Oven, but we can’t help it. We want to make sure you all know the right way to cook pork chops and getting it right certainly involves knowing the proper length of cooking time. Okay, back to square one – when we are talking about cooking times, we need to discuss the most important factor in the length of time cooking decision. It all comes down to the thickness or thinness of the pork chops. You have to know what you’re dealing with before you can decide how long to cook pork chops for. If you need help finding out the thickness of the pork chops when you are at the store, just ask the manager of the meat department. You can usually spot him or her near the meats, of course. If you are in a meat store or butcher shop, this is will be very easy for you to find out. You can specify whether you want the bone in or out, the thickness of the meat, and more.

Just so you know anything three quarters of an inch or thicker is considered as thick in the pork chop world when you’re learning how long to cook pork chops. Of course, anything less, would be considered a thin pork chop. Knowing how long to cook pork chops also depends on how you will be cooking them. There are so many ways to cook them, your head might literally start to spin, but don’t worry. We’ve narrowed down our site to include some of the most delicious pork chop recipes you’ll find anywhere and of course we are going to tell you for exactly how long to cook pork chops, too! All of the recipes are very easy to follow, so you don’t have to be a master chef to be able to enjoy them. Baking pork chops in the oven usually requires at least an hour at the standard three-hundred fifty degrees. Pork chops in a slow cooker, such as a Crock Pot, could take anywhere from 4-8 hours depending on the temperature that you cook them for and what the recipe calls for. Grilling pork chops, that’s a little different. Usually most grilling recipes require you to wrap the pork chops in aluminum foil to be grilled for at least the first half of the cooking time. This is to ensure that the pork chops are cooked all the way through the middle. You don’t want to endanger you or your family by taking the chance of eating raw pork. That is very hazardous to your health, so please pay attention when the recipe tells you how long to cook pork chops for.

Grease either a roasting pan or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat being careful not to burn. Meanwhile, season the pork chops with a dash of salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops on both sides in the hot skillet. Just a few minutes on each side will do. Remove the pork chops from the skillet and transfer to the roasting pan or baking dish. Keep that skillet hot because now you are going to add your onions and mushrooms that you have already chopped previously. Cook them until they are tender, again being careful not to burn. Now add the chicken broth and stir to combine. In a small bowl combine the ranch salad dressing and the spicy yellow mustard. When thoroughly mixed, add it to the skillet with the rest of the ingredients. Let the sauce boil for just a minute and then pour into the baking dish where your pork chops are waiting for it.

Now comes the part where we learn how long to cook pork chops for. Cover your baking dish with aluminum foil and place in a 325 degree oven and back for 1 1/2 hours. You see? The lower the temperature, the longer the cooking time. This ensures the pork chops stay moist and do not dry out. There’s nothing worse than dry pork chops on your plate. We do hope you enjoy this pork chops recipe and have enjoyed learning how long to cook pork chops.

What could be better than pork chops in croc pot? I can’t think of much else off the top of my head. You can be the newest cook on the planet and still have success with a croc pot. It’s just one of those tools, a cook can not live without. Talk about tenderness! Pork chops cooked in a croc pot are the juiciest and most tender pork chops you have ever eaten in your life. The croc pot is kept on the kitchen counter in our home from the months of September all the way through March and sometimes throughout the summer, too. There’s just nothing easier than putting some pork chops in croc pot and letting them simmer all day while you carry on about your business knowing you’re going to have one tasty meal for dinner.

There are literally thousands of pork chops in croc pot recipe that you can find nowadays online. We’ve got our tried and true favorites, however. You know, the ones that are really going to taste good! Like said above, you really can’t go wrong when you’re talking about a croc pot. Even if you don’t have a recipe to follow, just season up your pork chops with some salt and pepper, spray a little cooking oil in the croc pot, throw them in with a little water, maybe a cut up onion, and perhaps a package on that Lipton onion soup mix. How much easier can it get than that? Just be creative and let your juices flow. Sometimes, doing that will produce the best pork chops in croc pot you have ever tasted.

If you’re the type of person that simply has to have a recipe for pork chops in croc pot, don’t worry. We’ve got ya covered, relax! You can’t go wrong with this easy recipe below. The prep time is all of about 15 minutes and the rest is just pure simmering.

Make sure you have your croc pot plugged in and heated up. Set it to cook on low for 7-8 hours, this way your pork chops in croc pot will be extremely tender, falling off the bone if you are using the ones that have them. Season your pork chops with salt and pepper, even a little garlic if you like. Then lightly coat them with flour. Have your oil in a pan on the stove ready to go and lightly brown the pork chops on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side. Now place your pork chops in croc pot and top them with the onion slices. Either dissolve your boullion cubes in the hot water and pour over the pork chops in croc pot or pour your two cups of chicken broth in. Now, the fun part – let ‘em cook for at least 7 hours, 8 if you like really tender pork chops. Mix 2 TBSP of flour into the cup of sour cream now. Pour this mixture into your crock pot and mix in with the existing juices. Now crank your slow cooker up to high and let cook for around 20 to 30 minutes until the sauce thickens.

These pork chops can be served with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, rice, egg noodles, or whatever else you can think of. Mashed potatoes work great because the gravy these pork chops made is delicious and can be used as gravy for the potatoes. Use this pork chops in croc pot recipe when you need a quick fast dinner recipe anytime!

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